Glory Days

Does this one even need any text? I’m going with nope!

Cheers

My wife loves her hummingbirds. She tracks their migration every year, starting around February, so that she knows when to put the feeders out. Domino Sugar becomes a line item in the household budget over the course of the summer but it’s always worth it to see these little guys when you’re out on the deck during the day.

We didn’t have as many visitors during the 1st half of the summer as we normally do – not sure why – but it’s really picked up since about mid-August. This one was particularly fun though, because he passed on the feeders in the back and went straight for the flowers in the window box up front. Always glad to have them come by – no matter where they decide to feed.

In my last post, I mentioned that I LOVE Chicagoland – not just Chicago proper but all the towns and villages that surround it. A big part of that love is rooted in the affection I have for our little Village. We always say it feels like living in a bubble – the type of community that Tim Walz describes in his stump speeches. It’s a big neighborhood and we generally treat each other with kindness and respect. I like to joke and say we’re living in a “Leave It to Beaver” episode with Smartphones.

If I meant to talk about all the things I love about this community, it would be a very long post – not going to do that. What I did want to talk about is my morning walk and one of many things about this place that leaves me with a peaceful, easy feeling on most days. We’re lucky enough to have a smallish lake about 2 blocks from the house. My wife and I – after a slow morning in bed drinking coffee and reading the newspapers – generally start the day by walking the dog. I’d be completely remiss at this point (and the dog would never forgive me) if I didn’t introduce her so….meet Daisy.

That lake makes for about a 2-mile walk – perfect for two retirees and our 13-year-old Daisy girl. What never ceases to amaze is that even here – this close to one of the largest cities in the country – we’re not all that far from the natural world. In that regard, we were lucky this morning.

Here’s a picture of a Great Blue Heron that was just hanging around having breakfast.

It’s not uncommon to see these guys on the lake but it’s always worth a small celebration – they’re just such beautiful birds.

If that wasn’t enough, this next one is what really got us excited. We used to have a mating pair of swans that made our lake their home. They were neighbors everyone in town was glad to have and it was always comforting to start the day seeing them out there together. I don’t know a lot about swans, but I do believe that they mate for life and that they generally keep the geese off the lake. I don’t really have anything against geese – with the exception of the fact that I get a little tired of stepping around / over piles of goose poop and their general lack of congeniality – but given any choice between geese and swans, I am a “swans” guy hands down. Swans are a permanent presence so they feel more like neighbors whereas the geese are definitely just tourists.

Sadly, we lost our swans around the time the pandemic hit – had heavy rains, the lake rose pretty quickly, and the mother swan drowned (we think because she refused to leave her nest as the waters started to rise). With his mate gone, the male swan left shortly thereafter. I think it’s fair to say that, for many of us, their loss left a small hole in the community.

So, it was with no small amount of happiness that we saw these folk on our walk this morning.

Can’t say for sure but this looks like 2 new Swan couples cruising the lake. We also won’t know for a while but we’re truly hoping that this means we’ll have new neighbors in the future and that we’ll all eventually be hearing the pitter patter of small swan feet. I guess you don’t always have to find a solution to a problem. Sometimes all you have to do is wait and holes fill themselves in.

Cheers

I’ll start with this – I LOVE Chicagoland (the term we use to capture the city proper as well as the outlying areas) – and no who knows me really well would have ever expected me to say something like that – EVER! I grew up in the South – from birth to 6th grade, I lived in North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas. My father was born in Mississippi, and I still have people there. My mother was born in Louisiana, and I still have people there. I’ve been a walking billboard for The University of Texas at Austin for over 4o years. I own a fair few pair of cowboy boots, and I’ll tell you with a straight face that I think they’re the most comfortable footwear you can find.

All that aside, I moved here 14 years ago after relocating – on average – every 3 years since 1984. I’ve put down roots for the first time in my life since leaving TX and I feel like I’ve gotten very lucky about where I landed. This town has everything you could ever hope for – the music, the arts, the sports, amazing architecture, a whole bunch of great people who are proud of their city and some truly amazing food. I’ve lived all over the US and in several foreign countries and I’ve never found a better food city – many that are every bit as good – but none better.

If you want to get a feel for the food scene here, watch “The Bear” on Hulu. My wife and I fell in love with the show from the very 1st episode and we’ve been huge fans ever since. So – when we were looking for an experience to share as part of our Anniversary celebration, we settled on the “Yes Chef” Food Tour. Can’t thank my wife enough for finding this cuz it turned out to be a great afternoon with perfect weather and amazing food!!

We started out at 11:00 AM and spent the next 4 hours visiting some pretty iconic Chicago culinary locations (all featured in the show) and sampling some pretty amazing cuisine. I’m dropping a gallery of some of the places we visited.

Any Chicagoan will know these places and if you’re in town – try to visit one or more. If I had to recommend just one – I’d tell you to go for the chocolate sundae at Margie’s – it’s all about the homemade fudge and you won’t find anything like it anywhere else – my promise! Having said that, you won’t go wrong with any of these places.